Elaphe sauromates



Rat snake - Elaphe sauromates - Pallas, 1811
Elaphe sauromates was previously known as Elaphe quatuorlineata sauromates and is now treated as full species.

Description:
Elaphe sauromates is a non-venomous snake which reaches 260 cm in length (the medium is 120 to 160 cm), being one of the largest and massive European snakes.
The head is elongated with round pupil and obtuse snout. The rostral is broader than deep, frontal shorter than the parietals, one preocular, two or three postoculars, eight upper labials, four or five lower labials. The dorsal scales are feebly but distinctly keeled in 25 (rarely 23 or 27) rows. The ventral shields are 195 to 234 in number, anal plate single or divided and it has 56 to 90 subcaudals.
Dorsally their color is yellowish or yellowish brown with dark-brown or reddish-brown blotches (differentiated in four longitudinal rows). The head is dark-brown with a light colored post-occipital spot and a black oblique streak from the eye to the angle of the mouth. The ventral side is yellowish, sometimes brown stained. The youth are more pronounced stained but clarity will disappear with age.

Biology:
It is a diurnal (active by day) snake and a good climber. It feeds on small mammals like mice, rats and moles, birds and their eggs, and lizards. The young usually feeds on small lizards.
Pairing takes place June-July. At the end of July a clutch of 5-16 eggs is laid, and hatch in September or beginning of October. The young are about 15-30cm long on hatching. They reach sexual maturity approximately at 4 - 5 years old.
Being easy to keep, they are seldom seen in captivity.

Habitat:
Elaphe sauromates it is found in places with thin forests and bushes, with steppe vegetation, where it prefers hollows, ravines. Also it is found in hedgerows, rocky overgrown areas and may also be found near to water bodies or away from them, tending to have very large home ranges. This species inhabits regions with altitudes up to 2500m.

Distribution:
Range (on countries): 
Armenia, Azerbaydzhan, Bulgaria, Georgia, Greece, Iran, Kazakhstan, Moldavia, Romania, South of Russia (between Caspian and Black Sea), Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Turkey, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, coastal Croatia (including some Adriatic islands), Serbia, Slovenia, Hertzegovina, Montenegro, Macedonia, Albania, Italy: north to Tuscany and Umbria.

Scientific name: Elaphe sauromates

Common name: Eastern Fourlined Ratsnake, Bulgarian Ratsnake, Blotched snake 

Taxonomy:
Species: Elaphe sauromates

IUCN Status: This taxon has not yet been assessed for the IUCN Red List.
"It is listed on Annex II of the Bern Convention. It occurs in some protected areas throughout its range."
It is mainly threatened by habitat loss due to intensification of agricultural practices and infrastructure development for tourism and urbanization. It is persecuted by humans in many parts of its range.

References:
Arnold, E.N. 2003. Reptiles and amphibians of Europe. Princeton University Press., Princeton and Oxford; 
Cog?lniceanu D., Rozylowicz L., Székely P., Samoil? C., St?nescu F., Tudor M., Székely D., Iosif R., (2013): Diversity and distribution of reptiles in Romania, ZooKeys 341: 49-76.;
Council of Europe. 2003. Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats. Group of experts on the conservation of Amphibians and Reptiles. Mälmo (Sweden), 26-27 September 2003. Report T-PVS (2003) 18. 
Fuhn, I. & S. Vancea, 1961: Fauna Republicii Române, 14. Reptilia (Testoase, Sopârle, Serpi). Bucuresti; 
Fuhn I.E., (1969): Broa?te, ?erpi, ?opârle. Ed. ?tiin?ific?, Bucure?ti;
Gasc, J.-P., A. Cabela, J. Crnobrnja-Isailovic, D. Dolmen, K. Grossenbacher, P. Haffner, J. Lescure, H. Martens, J.P. Martinez-Rica, H. Maurin, M.E. Oliveira, T.S. Sofianidou, M. Veith & A. Zuiderwijk, 1997: Atlas of Amphibians and Reptiles in Europe. - Societas Europaea Herpetologica und Muséum National d'Historie Naturelle (IEGB/SPN), Paris; 
Lenk, P.; Joger, U. & Wink, M. 2001. Phylogenetic relationships among European ratsnakes of the genus Elaphe Fitzinger based on mitochondrial DNA sequence comparisons. Amphibia-Reptilia 22 (3): 329-339;
Szczerbak, N.N. 2003. Guide to the Reptiles of the Eastern Palearctic. Krieger, Malabar, FL, 260 pp.; 
Sos, T. 2008. Review of recent taxonomic and nomenclatural changes in European Amphibia and Reptilia related to Romanian herpetofauna. Herpetologica Romanica 2: 61-91; 
Utiger, Urs, Notker Helfenberger, Beat Schätti, Catherine Schmidt, Markus Ruf and Vincent Ziswiler 2002. Molecular systematics and phylogeny of Old World and New World ratsnakes, Elaphe Auct., and related genera (Reptilia, Squamata, Colubridae). Russ. J. Herpetol. 9 (2): 105-124;